Houston 'raises awareness' for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month by lighting city's landmarks

Former President Barack Obama had declared the month of September to be the Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the year 2012 to increase awareness. 

Pediatric cancer is very deadly, and in the U.S, it is the leading cause of death by disease in kids under the age of 14.

"This past weekend, Houston City Hall and the Montrose bridges were lit up gold in recognition of #ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth! Thank you to Mayor @SylvesterTurner for helping #TexasChildrens Cancer and Hematology Center raise awareness," Texas Children's Hospital tweeted.

Every day, 43 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer, and the numbers are really heartbreaking. Last month, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation for ACAM.

"When a person you love is diagnosed with cancer, it stops your heart and throws your world off of its axis. That fear and heartache is only compounded when cancer strikes a child," Biden said.  

Every year, an estimated 16,000 children between the age of 0-19 get diagnosed with cancer. And approximately 1 in 285 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday.

About 10% of the children who develop cancer do so because they inherit a genetic mutation. And even if a child survives, they face further issues down the line. More than 95% of the child survivors face significant treatment-related health issues.

Every three minutes, a family hears that their child has been diagnosed with this deadly disease. Twenty percent of the children who developed cancer in the U.S. will not survive it.